Learn — By WATMM Desk —
Recipe: make and upload a Spotify Canvas loop
A Canvas is the 3 to 8 second vertical loop that replaces your cover art in Spotify's Now Playing view. Here are the specs from Spotify's own pages, the steps, the time each takes and what it costs.
Key facts
- Spotify asks for a 3 to 8 second vertical 9:16 MP4 or JPG, between 720px and 1080px tall.
- Only the first main artist on the track, or the main artist on both track and release, with an Admin or Editor role, can add a Canvas.
- You can add a Canvas to upcoming releases, not just live ones.
What you get: a short moving loop in place of your cover art when someone plays your track in the Spotify mobile app (Spotify).
What it costs: none of the three Spotify pages we read mentions a fee for adding a Canvas. If you shoot on your phone and edit in software you already have, the cost is your time: about an hour for a first loop.
Before you start: you need Spotify for Artists access with an Admin or Editor role, and you must be the first main artist on the track, or the main artist on both the track and the release (Spotify). If you have not claimed your profile yet, start with our artist profile recipe.
The specs
From Spotify's Canvas guidelines, read 28 October 2026:
| Spec | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Length | 3 to 8 seconds |
| Shape | Vertical, 9:16 |
| Height | 720px to 1080px |
| File | MP4 or JPG |
The page does not list a file size limit, width or frame rate. Working from 9:16, a 1080px-tall file is 607.5px wide, so most editors will round to 608px; a 720px-tall file is 405px wide. That arithmetic is ours, not Spotify's.
The steps
Pick the moment (10 minutes, free). Choose footage with no talking, singing or rapping, and no rapid cuts or intense flashing (Spotify guidelines). One slow, simple image beats a montage at this length.
Shoot or make it vertical (15 to 30 minutes, free on a phone). Frame for 9:16 from the start rather than cropping a landscape clip. Keep anything important away from the edges, because Spotify warns edges may be cut off on some phones (Spotify guidelines).
Choose a loop type (5 minutes). Spotify names three: Continuous Loop, Hard Cut and Rebound (Spotify guidelines). Rebound (play forward, then reverse) is the easiest to make seamless from any clip.
Trim and export (15 minutes). Cut to between 3 and 8 seconds and export an MP4 between 720px and 1080px tall. Leave out the song title and your name: the Now Playing view already shows them (Spotify guidelines).
Check it against the content policy (5 minutes). No URLs, ticket links, contests, calls to follow or like, product promotion or brand logos, including Spotify's; any text must relate to the track and the artwork stays the main focus. Mark it explicit if it has profanity, violence, drugs, sexual content or sensitive topics. Non-compliant Canvases are removed (Spotify content policy).
Upload (5 minutes, free). On the web: log in at artists.spotify.com, open the Music tab, select the track and click Add Canvas. In the Spotify for Artists app: Music tab, select the track, tap the edit icon next to Canvas (Spotify). Spotify does not say how long processing takes, so check the Now Playing view on your own phone the next day.
What we think
Do it before release day. Spotify lets you add a Canvas to upcoming tracks (Spotify), so there is no reason the first listeners should see a static cover. Batch it with the rest of your release-week admin.
The rules push you towards restraint, and that is the right instinct anyway. Eight seconds on repeat punishes anything busy: a slow pan across the cover's texture, hands on an instrument, or a single lit room will wear better on the tenth loop than a cut-down music video. And because the policy bans links and calls to action, a Canvas is mood, not marketing. Treat it as part of the artwork, not an ad slot.
Sources
- Canvas guidelines, Spotify (primary source). Accessed 28 Oct 2026.
- Adding a Canvas to Spotify, Spotify (primary source). Accessed 28 Oct 2026.
- Canvas content policy, Spotify (primary source). Accessed 28 Oct 2026.
Researched with AI assistance, written and checked by WATMM Desk.